School Boards Association: Funding for Public Education in New York in Crisis Mode

ALBANY, NY (12/22/2008)(readMedia)-- The severity of the state's fiscal crisis coupled with a proposed school property tax cap has brought funding for public education to "crisis proportions" according to Timothy G. Kremer, executive director of the NYS School Boards Association, in an interview conducted this past week for the Empire Page.

State aid for public schools is taking a big hit in the plan submitted last week by Governor Paterson to balance the state budget. The full impact of the reductions plus postponing a promised increase Kremer calculates as a "$2.5 billion reduction from expected state aid levels." "At risk are successful educational programs for students who will eventually support the New York economy and drive our future," Kremer stated.

NYSSBA recently circulated 55 recommendations to help districts address funding pressures the result of a year-long association task force. Kremer singled out five recommendations as his wish list for the Legislature and the Governor as they deal with the state's fiscal crisis:

1. Reaffirm the promise to increase state aid as set forth in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) settlement agreement.

2. Cap the local share of school district nondiscretionary costs.

3. Provide full funding for all new and currently under-funded state and federal mandates, including special education.

4. Modernize employee compensation and benefits programs.

5. Freeze payments to employees working under an expired contract to payments authorized in the last year of the old contract.

The complete interview -- as well as previous interviews on related topics -- can be found in the Improving New York section of the Empire Page.

The Improving New York section of the Empire Page explores solutions to New York's government-related problems. Future interviews will examine educational funding, government waste and property tax issues.

The Empire Page is published by PoliticalNewsToday.com, LLC, which seeks to provide information and opinion on the key issues of the day through websites that aggregate news and opinion and provide useful content for people active in government and politics. The partnership consists of Peter G. Pollak, who is the majority shareholder and actively manages the company, Schwartz-Heslin Group and Wynantskill Capital.